Sixteen-year-old Jane Adams won first place in a youth safety poster contest at a recent three-day youth leadership conference in Dorchester.

In light of a recent study published by the state Department of Public Health that tracked teen workplace injuries, 60 teens from Massachusetts teamed up with the department to build awareness of the issue. According to the study, Massachusetts teens visited emergency rooms more than 4,000 times from 2004 to 2008.

Tonia Greene, a judge for the Safe Jobs for Youth poster contest, said, “Teens face dangers in the workplace that they are totally unaware of, so it’s important to grab their attention when trying to inform them about workplace hazards.”

Adams’ poster is a concoction of contrasting colors and shapes and a megaphone blaring, “If you see something unsafe in your workplace, tell someone.”

“Teen worker safety is a necessary concern, especially relevant in the economic recession, and I wanted to emphasize the urgency of vocalizing this concern,” Adams said.